1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement on the grip of a tennis racket.
2. Prior Art Statement
The most popular way of holding the grip of a tennis racket is by the so-called "Eastern grip". When the racket is held in the right hand to hit a ball with a forehand stroke, the grip is held by the hand with the face of the racket first held vertically and then the hand is slightly turned rightwardly (FIG. 1). In contrast, when the ball is hit with a backhand stroke, the grip is held with the hand turned leftwardly by about 1 to 2 cm (FIG. 2) from the forehand position.
A tennis racket provided with a projection on the outer peripheral surface of the grip portion is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Public Disclosure No. SHO 55-628.
The projection formed on the grip portion of the conventional racket is provided for the following reasons. Since the sectional configuration of the grip portion is circular or elliptical, the grip, when held in the hand, slips and turns easily in the hand. Therefore, if the grip is held in hand with the thumb and index finger caught on the projection, the grip portion is prevented from turning in the hand. However, the structure of the grip portion of the conventional racket is not appropriate for beginners because they cannot quickly decide how far the hand should be turned from the current position on the grip portion to enable hitting the ball in the best way when it returns to him from the other player. Therefore, the beginner is apt to make mistakes with the conventional racket. The result is that his progress is slow.